Microfabricated ultra sharp tips may be utilized in various applications, including for example, electrostatic ion sources, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopy. Very high aspect ratio atomic force microscope (AFM) tips, for example, are necessary to allow deep access to structural features during semi-conductor processing and in the metrology of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) structures. S. Hosaka, et al., App. Surf. Sci., Vol. 188, 2002, pp. 467 et seq. Various techniques have been developed for the fabrication of high aspect ratio micro-tips. One approach utilizes semiconductor processing techniques to produce ultra-sharp silicon tips. See, I. W. Rangelo, et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Vol. B16, 1998, pp. 3185 et seq.; E. P. Givargizov, et al., Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 82, 2000, pp. 57 et seq.; J. Thaysen, et al., Sens. Actuators, Vol. 883, 2000, pp. 47 et seq. Another approach attaches carbon nanotubes to conventional AFM tips. See, A. Olbreich, et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Vol. B17, 1999, pp. 1570 et seq.; S. Rozhok, et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Vol. B21, 2003, pp. 323 et seq.; A. B. H. Tay and J. T. L. Thong, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 84, 2004, pp. 5207 et seq. Focused ion beam milling has also been utilized to make super-sharp tips, as discussed in, e.g., A. Olbrich, et al., supra, and P. Morimoto, et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 41, 2002, pp. 4238 et seq. All of these techniques involve relatively complex processing procedures, with attendant high-costs, and generally are unable to achieve tip heights greater than 30 micrometers (μm), particularly with high aspect ratios of five or greater.
Another application for microfabricated tips has been scanning near-field microwave microscopy (SNMM), which is used to characterize semiconductor materials and to measure biomedical samples. Such near-field techniques allow subwavelength resolution and the penetration of electromagnetic fields to allow imaging of subsurface features. See, e.g., J. Park, et al., Ultra Microscopy, 2005; pp. 101-106; M. Tabib, Azar and Y. Wang, IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory & Tech., Vol. 52, No. 3, March 2004, pp. 971-979; B. T. Rosner and D. W. Van Der Weide, Rev. Sci. Instrum., Vol. 73, 2002, pp. 2505-2525. Coaxial waveguides have the advantage of supporting microwave signals with nearly no cut-off limit and producing highly confined electromagnetic fields through the coaxial structure. A. Kramer, et al., Micron, Vol. 27, December 1996, pp. 413-417. Most existing scanning near-field microwave microscopy probes use open-ended coaxial cables with a protruding center tapered tip or similar coaxial structures. A. Imtiaz, et al., Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 94, 2003, pp. 209-216.
AFM compatible SNMM probes have been developed using MEMS processing techniques. M. Tabib-Azar and Y. Wang, supra; B. T. Rosner, et al., Sens. Actuators A Phys. Vol. 102, December 2002, pp. 185-194. Such tips have the advantage of miniature size with a potential for even greater resolution for batch microfabrication and for compatibility with commercial AFM systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,237 discloses a combination of a sub-wavelength antenna and a topography probe, both integrated on the same cantilever in a scanning probe microscope. The disclosed combination provides both stimulation/response of a sample via evanescent-wave coupling and acquisition of topographical information in a manner such that the two functions are decoupled from each other. The key component of a microfabricated SNMM probe is a coaxial tip integrated with an AFM cantilever to conduct simultaneous topographic and microwave imaging. Despite successful implementation of microfabricated SNMM probes with coaxial tips, parasitic capacitive coupling with the metallization on the cantilever and the chip body is still a problem that limits coaxial tip microwave imaging. See M. Tabib-Azar and Y. Wang, supra. One approach to this problem is to increase the tip height, thereby decreasing the parasitic capacitance between the cantilever and the sample. This approach has had limited success because of the difficulty of producing microfabricated probe tips with heights greater than about 10 μm.